Jesus’ Example of Forgiveness – Matthew 26:47-56
Illustration:Chuck Swindoll reports that a seminary student in Chicago faced a forgiveness test. Although he preferred to work in some kind of ministry, the only job he could find was driving a bus on Chicago’s south side. One day a gang of tough teens got on board and refused to pay the fare. After a few days of this, the seminarian spotted a policeman on the corner, stopped the bus, and reported them. The officer made them pay, but then he got off. When the bus rounded a corner, the gang robbed the seminarian and beat him severely. He pressed charges and the gang was rounded up. They were found guilty. But as soon as the jail sentence was given, the young Christian saw their spiritual need and felt pity for them. So he asked the judge if he could serve their sentences for them. The gang members and the judge were dumbfounded. "It’s because I forgive you," he explained. His request was denied, but he visited the young men in jail and led several of them to faith in Christ.
Chuck Swindoll.
How do you suppose we can lead people to a greater understanding of how Jesus forgave those who sinned against Him so they can follow His example?
1. Unless we want to become bitter, defensive and resentful of others it is essential to learn how to forgive. We choose to be bitter or better through every hurtful situation.
Jesus forgave those who betrayed Him and sold him for thirty pieces of silver.
Many people who suffer from emotional, physical or spiritual pain do so because they have failed to forgive others as Jesus did.
2. Believers need to learn how to avoid internalizing their feelings of resentment. Jesus teaches us how to yield all of our rights to the Sovereign leading of God since He is the ruler of everyone.
(Matthew 26:47-56)
3. Only the Lord is able to teach, enable and guide us through the process of forgiving others who sin against us. Jesus teaches us in this passage how to exercise the power of forgiveness even when it seems one has been unjustly dealt with.
Judas betrayed Jesus to the chief priests who felt threatened by His spiritual authority. We can be completely confident that Jesus will help us forgive those who betray us through the power of His Holy Spirit. God supplies us with the all sufficient grace to face any trial realizing that the Lord’s greater purposes can be carried out in our life even through adversity.
Trust and obey God for the strength to forgive others as Christ has forgiven us.
What did it take for Jesus to forgive a friend who betrayed him for thirty pieces of silver. HOw do you think Jesus must have felt when he saw that some of the chief priests and religious rulers were actually behind his trial and death sentence.
In contrast how to we feel when someone sins against us?
Illustration:In A Forgiving God in an Unforgiving World, Ron Lee Davis retells the true story of a priest in the Philippines, a much- loved man of God who carried the burden of a secret sin he had committed many years before. He had repented but still had no peace, no sense of God’s forgiveness.
In his parish was a woman who deeply loved God and who claimed to have visions in which she spoke with Christ and he with her. The priest, however, was skeptical. To test her he said, "The next time you speak with Christ, I want you to ask him what sin your priest committed while he was in seminary." The woman agreed. A few days later the priest asked., "Well, did Christ visit you in your dreams?"
"Yes, he did," she replied.
"And did you ask him what sin I committed in seminary?"
"Yes."
"Well, what did he say?"
"He said, ’I don’t remember’"
What God forgives, He forgets.
David H. Bolton.
4. Jesus Christ refused to retaliate against those who sought to arrest him for a crime he did not commit.
Peter wrote, “When He was reviled, he did revile in return but kept entrusting Himself to one who judges righteously.”
5. Let us focus on how the we can resist the temptation to take vengeance into our own hands, but to forgive those who do offend.
The Holy Spirit enables us to overcome the temptations to react in anger against someone who has betrayed us. (I Cor. 10:13) How does Christ’s example and the power of the Holy Spirit give us the power to overlook another’s fault?
6. Jesus Christ allowed himself to go through the terrible pain of being betrayed, arrested and taken away for a trial. The Lord Jesus gives us a great example of how to allow the sovereign will of God be accomplished in one’s life without becoming resentful.
Christ not only forgave those who sinned against Him, but realized that God can use the wrath of man to praise Himself.
7. When a person’s rights are totally yielded to the Lord we are not apt to become bitter, hurt or stressed out.
Even though Jesus Christ had the power to call 12,000 angels to set himself free from the soldiers, he chose to allow the Father’s will be done for His life. Christ was willing to endure the sufferings of shame, crucifixion and betrayal in order to allow the Scriptures to be fulfilled.
8. Only when a person is willing to do God’s will can they fully experience the enabling power of God’s all sufficient grace. Jesus said, “All of this has taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.”
Like Jesus, every Christian is given a choice to yield to the temptation to take vengeance into our own hands or allow God to use it to make us stronger.
9. Too many believers allow anger to get the better of their spiritual nature when they feel they have been wronged. Anger then builds up in one’s emotions and one feels the need to take revenge.
10. Others try to hide their feelings of anger and eventually become depressed. Instead, we should follow the example of Jesus who gave complete control to the will of His heavenly Father to do whatever He wanted in and through His life.
When we are hurt we need to make a conscience decision to forgive.
11. Learn to turn the control of everything over to the Lord so He can bless, guide and enable us to carry out His will for our life.
Realize that you do not have to understand why certain things happen to you before you can obey the will of God that is before you.
We can always choose to become bitter or better from every adversity.
The Holy Spirit will empower you to forgive others as God has forgiven you.
The Spirit of God convicts us when we try to return evil for evil.
Instead, the Lord expects us to refuse to be overcome with evil, but to overcome evil with good, love and the truth of His word. (Romans 12:21)
A mature Christian knows that “greater is He who is in them, than the one who is in the world.” (I John 4:4)
12. When a person fully appropriates the power of the Holy Spirit and the word of God in their life they can follow Christ’s powerful example of forgiveness no matter what the circumstances.
The Lord is able to help us take responsibility for our words, deeds and sins of improper attitudes.
The Spirit of God helps us realize that we are still a work in progress.
13. Jesus teaches us not to blame others for our misfortunes. The scriptures teaches us that we are able to respond in love to worst kind of provocation when we replace anger with prayer, frustrations with faith and hurt with Christ’s healing power.
When we consciously spend time praying and equipping ourself with the full armor of God we will be able to deflect any of the fiery darts of evil hurled against us with the shield of faith.
14. Only the Lord is able to heal the hurt feelings that we have inside of our hearts and minds. The Holy Spirit helps overcome past rejections, betrayals and unjust criticisms.
God’s grace gives us a greater appreciation for how the love of God is patient, kind and not easily irritated when one is abused. God’s word shows us how to focus on positive virtues rather than negative emotions that tend to cloud our perspectives.
Ask the Lord to help you learn to use painful experiences to allow you to grow more in Christ likeness.
Questions to Ask Those who Struggle to Forgive
1. What are the results of failing to forgive?
2. What are some of the reasons that we need to forgive?
3. What are some of the consequences of failing to forgive others as Christ did?
4. What can we learn when we are unjustly hurt, criticized or accused?
5. How does the Holy Spirit help us forgive as Christ forgave those who sinned against Him?
6. How does great faith help us defend ones self from fiery darts of evil?
7. How should we respond to God’s sovereign will in our life?
8. What are some of the ways that the word of God helps us replace negative with positive responses to provocation?
Memory Verse – Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Eph. 4:32)
Conclusion:When Narvaez, the Spanish patriot, lay dying, his father-confessor asked him whether he had forgiven all his enemies. Narvaez looked astonished and said, "Father, I have no enemies, I have shot them all." Avoid this human tendency at all costs.
Unknown.
Response
Song: “Forgive one another as Christ forgave you.”
Prayer: Ask the Lord to give you the power to not react angrily to others who hurt you, but to forgive as Christ has forgiven you with love, patience and understanding
At Home: Share how the Lord Jesus’ example of forgiving His betrayers inspires you to forgive those who sin against you.
